Homeacres, Somerset

On 0.09 hectares (0.23 acres) Charles Dowding has developed a highly acclaimed intensive “No dig” garden from which  he  generates  an  annual  gross  income  of  about  £20,000. His flagship  product  is  mixed  salad  leaves (representing 80% of sales), which he sells to restaurants and cafes within a five-mile radius of his home.The  no-dig  system  involves  creating  permanent  raised  beds  by  mulching  grass  with  cardboard  and  laying  compost  10-15cm  deep,  into  which  seedling  modules  are  planted  directly.

Labour is reduced over the long term by keeping rigorous control on weeds, while not cultivating the soil reduces  seed  germination  of  weeds,  since  they  are  not  exposed  to  light. The garden  provides  employment  for  two  full  time  equivalents,  although  this  also  includes  the  running  of  courses  on  no-dig  gardening.